Wade Jenkins (u/wadejenkins)

Posts

Best day I had on a job in Philly last summer

I was working on a small retaining wall for a guy in northeast Philly back in July. The weather was perfect, not too hot, and the mortar set up just right every time I laid a brick. I finished the whole 40 foot wall in one day, which is way faster than I normally go. The homeowner came out and said he couldn't believe how straight it looked without any weird gaps. Made me feel good about my work and reminded me why I like this trade. Anybody else have a day where everything just clicked like that?

3 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

wadejenkins•12d ago

A neighbor told me my cabinet prices were too high and I should be ashamed

Last month at a backyard BBQ in Austin, a guy I barely know said I was ripping people off charging $200 per linear foot for shaker cabinets. He claimed his cousin builds the same thing for half the cost out of his garage. Has anyone else had to defend their pricing against people who don't understand what goes into quality work?

3 comments

c/client-management•

wadejenkins•15d ago

Had a client in Austin who went from weekly check-ins to silent for 6 months

I was managing a website redesign for a small law firm back in February, and they wanted updates every Tuesday without fail. Then around April they just stopped replying to emails and I figured they hated the work, but they called me last week asking why the new blog feature wasn't live yet. Anyone else have a client go completely silent and then pop back up expecting you to read their mind?

4 comments

c/board-game-geeks•

wadejenkins•17d ago

A buddy at the game store made me realize I've been a terrible opponent for years

He told me I always rush through other people's turns to get back to mine, and it hit different because I saw it in myself during a 3-hour game of Brass Birmingham last night. Has anyone else had a moment where someone pointed out your table manners were ruining the fun?

3 comments

c/chefs•

wadejenkins•18d ago

Had a line cook tell me to stop salting proteins so early last week

He said I was pulling moisture out before it hit the grill. Tried his way with a batch of ribeyes, just seasoned right before flame, and the crust came out way better. Anyone else adjust their salting timing based on the protein?

3 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

wadejenkins•20d ago

I finally cracked that old Maytag dryer rattle after 3 months of guessing

So I had this customer call me about a Maytag dryer that was making this weird thumping sound for like 3 months. I went out there twice and checked the drum rollers, the belt, even the blower wheel. Nothing felt loose. Then I was sitting in my truck eating lunch and I overheard this other repair guy talking about how sometimes the rear drum support slides out of alignment on older models. I went back and looked closer and sure enough the little plastic glides were worn down just enough to let the drum wobble. Took me 15 minutes to put new ones in and the noise was gone. Customer was thrilled and I felt dumb for not catching it sooner lol. Has anyone else had a simple fix that took way too long to figure out because you were looking at the wrong part?

3 comments

c/backpacking-routes•

wadejenkins•20d ago

Heads up on the Rae Lakes Loop vs the JMT stretch through Sequoia

I did both last summer and the Rae Lakes Loop kicked my butt way worse because of those back-to-back passes above 11,000 feet with no gradual climb. Has anyone else found the shorter routes are actually harder than the long ones?

3 comments

c/fashion-design-ideas•

wadejenkins•23d ago

Appreciation post: Found a vintage fabric shop in Portland that changed how I look at patterns

Went to Portland last weekend to visit a friend and stumbled into this little shop called Fabric Row on SE Hawthorne. They had bolts of fabric from the 60s and 70s that were still in perfect shape. The patterns on them were wild, like geometric stuff you just don't see anymore. I grabbed a 3 yard piece with these orange and brown zigzags for $12. It made me realize how much modern fabric designs play it safe compared to what they used to do. Have any of you found old fabric that inspired a project in a totally different direction?

3 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

wadejenkins•29d ago

That one time a 6.7 Powerstroke oil cooler job turned into a three day nightmare

Got a 2015 F-250 in the bay with the classic coolant in oil milkshake, figured it was a straight forward cooler swap. Broke two torx bits trying to get the turbo pedestal bolts out, then found the block threads were stripped. Had to pull the cab just to get a proper tap in there, cost the shop over $800 in extra labor we couldn't bill for. Anyone else have a 'simple' repair blow up like that on them?

3 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

wadejenkins•1mo ago

Question about those new ceramic chain lubes

I was pretty sure the whole 'ceramic infused' thing was just marketing hype for a long time. Then a regular at the shop, a guy who rides 200 miles a week on gravel, swore by this one brand, Squirt. He said it lasted through a whole wet week of riding for him. I tried it on my own commuter bike as a test, running it for a full month without re-lube. The chain stayed quiet and clean way longer than my usual wet lube, even after some rain. I'm starting to think there's something to it for dry conditions. Has anyone else run a long-term test on these wax-based or ceramic lubes and seen real results?

3 comments

Posts

Best day I had on a job in Philly last summer

A neighbor told me my cabinet prices were too high and I should be ashamed

Had a client in Austin who went from weekly check-ins to silent for 6 months

A buddy at the game store made me realize I've been a terrible opponent for years

Had a line cook tell me to stop salting proteins so early last week

I finally cracked that old Maytag dryer rattle after 3 months of guessing

Heads up on the Rae Lakes Loop vs the JMT stretch through Sequoia

Appreciation post: Found a vintage fabric shop in Portland that changed how I look at patterns

That one time a 6.7 Powerstroke oil cooler job turned into a three day nightmare

Question about those new ceramic chain lubes

Recent Comments